May 20 thru 25, 2024, Munising, MI

Since rain was in the forecast, we broke camp early. The first few drops landed as we finished emptying our tanks. That might have been our earliest departure ever at 7:30am. What was especially nice was how still it was - not a hint of breeze, as can be seen in the lake pics below, and nice conditions for our 186-mile drive to Munising (we visited Munising once before in June of 2018).

Another benefit to the early start was critter sightings. The road had very little traffic, other than us, so we saw a wild turkey, a deer, a momma bear and her cub, a bald eagle (very close to the road at eye level), and a huge heron. They were all elusive enough that pictures were not possible but it made the drive even more memorable.

When we reached Munising the wind was still dead calm on Lake Superior. Our site (number 35) in Munising Tourist Park Campground had a nice view of the water.

With our early arrival, Joani had plenty of time to roam the shoreline hunting agates. A little breeze came along with a light sprinkling before ending the day with a beautiful sunset. 

Several days we had rain which was to be expected this early in the season. Since we were staying for 6 nights we were happy to see a mix of weather. Especially when the light rain was illuminated by the sun creating a beautiful rainbow.

After the rain, we were treated to some awesome cloud drama.

We awoke one morning to some thick fog. Joani opted for the shoreline of Bay Furnace Park (for a second time) for more rock hounding.

I picked up a few interesting rocks but mostly I snapped pictures. It was cool enough that these dragonflies stayed put as I walked by. They were sizable - I would estimate their wingspan at about 4 inches. You have to zoom in to appreciate their vivid colors.

We did not take the cruise along the Pictured Rocks Lakeshore this time. We hiked again to Munising Falls. I thought, with the recent rains, it would have more volume but looking back at pictures from 6 years ago it looked very similar.

Miners Castle Rock looks almost as picturesque from the overlook as it does from the lake level on the cruise.

We were able to hike to Miners Fall, something new to us this trip. The day was perfect with dappled sunshine on huge collections of colorful wildflowers in bloom.

Miners Falls was, hands down, our favorite falls within the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Park. I tried to capture the water movement with a long exposure which I thought worked well.

I wanted a closeup of the tiny blue flowers. Unfortunately, I did not review the picture while we were there. Later, I found I had missed focus. I should have used a tripod.

This was our second time in Munising and while some things were familiar, there were some new things as well and we would not mind staying here again. I certainly recommend the "Yooper Burger" and Onion Rings at Foggy's Steakhouse and Lounge.

Friday, August 17, 2018, Spearfish Falls Hike

The docent who could not be photographed (see the earlier Aug. 17 blog entry) gave us directions to Spearfish Falls. I only asked about it because we saw it in a movie about the area at the museum. We parked and found quite a few others looking for the falls. There was not much to see from the parking area. We were at the top of the falls and everything was obscured by thick foliage.

A nearby map showed us there was a 3/4 mile trail to the bottom of the falls. It seemed a bit odd that the trail skirted the outdoor seating at a restaurant along the way, but we certainly could not ask for better views along the trail.

The view of the falls from below was well worth the hike! I think this was probably our favorite falls in the canyon.

 

You know what they say about stopping to smell the flowers along the way. Well, if you can't smell them you can at least enjoy a picture of a few of them. We also saw some camera-shy deer along the way but you will just have to take my word for it since they were too fast for a picture.

Driving home through Spearfish Canyon we were struck, once again, by just how beautiful the Black Hills of South Dakota are.

Sunday, August 12, 2018, Spearfish Canyon, Roughlock Falls

On our first foray into Spearfish Canyon, we just took in the sights without trying to capture too many pictures. The drive was beautiful and the canyon was spectacular with rock faces rising hundreds of feet above the canyon floor.

I overheard one of the fish hatchery docents giving directions to Roughlock Falls and our research said we should not miss it. It was a little off the beaten path about a mile down a narrow gravel road, but that did not deter folks. We found quite a crowd at the falls parking area.

A nice paved trail led us to a couple of overlooks above the falls and to viewing platforms below the falls where we found the best views. I was certainly happy to have my tripod along so I could take a few long exposures of the falls.

Bridal Veil Falls was visible from the road but it was even better from the overlook platform. The lighting was far from ideal but it was still nice. It might have been even better without the photo bombers who felt the need for selfies under the falls. I waited for 10 or 15 minutes but it was clear they were in no hurry to leave after making the hike to the bottom of the falls.  

Saturday, June 23, 2018, Au Sable and Grand Marais

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore stretched about 45 miles from Munising, to the west, to Grand Marais, to the east. We set out to tour as much of that stretch as we could today. One famous lighthouse, Au Sable, was only accessible by hiking, but again, Sam was not welcome so we passed. As it turned out we could see it about two miles away from the "log slide" where we did stop.  

The log slide was a bit scary. It was desolate, we saw only a couple of other people during our visit, but mostly it was disconcerting just how easy it would have been to get into some serious trouble. The slide dropped 300 feet to the water and was only 500 feet in length. That was steep! I'm not sure how you can climb up loose sand that steep. Signs warned there were even steeper drop-offs that you couldn't see from above. Finally, we were warned that we would be responsible for the cost of any rescue operation to get us back up the slide. So, it was creepy, but pretty as long as you paid attention to where you walked. 

Near the northern edge of the park, we saw what I think was the prettiest falls - Sable Falls. A short hike with a lot of stairs took us to the bottom of the falls. I had my tripod and with some adjustments, I was able to capture the water's flow with a long exposure. A couple of my favorites are below.

Sable Falls (pronounced - saw bull falls)

The beach in Grand Marais is sometimes referred to as "Agate Beach." Sam and I spent an hour relaxing on the shore as the gentle waves lapped the rocks at our feet while Joani hunted for that one special rock that would forever remind her of this spot.

In Grand Marais, we had to stop at the Gitchi Gumee Museum. There was shade for Sam across the street with a nice breeze, so he didn't miss us too much as we checked it out.

Gitchi Gumee: Agate and History Museum in Grand Marais, MI

The "Agate Lady" kindly pulled out of hiding her most prized specimens and told the background of their acquisition. She said this stone was found in the river as seen, highly polished from the diamond dust that flows naturally in the Jequitinhonha River in Brazil.

(The Agate Lady gave me permission to include her photo.)

This explains how diamond dust found its way into the Jequintinhonha River when diamonds were only created in Africa.

This baby is about 10" x 6" x 8" tall.  (perspective is skewed in the photo with the Agate Lady.)

I appreciate seeing the "before" agate and also what you find when you cut it open.

Monday, June 18, 2018, Waterfalls and Lakeshores

The skies cleared after another overnight rain. Unfortunately for Sam, there was some lightning and thunder, so he didn't have a peaceful night. I covered my exposed skin with insect repellent and headed out to the falls with a tripod this time. Joani chose not to feed the bloodthirsty little demons and stayed inside. I tried lots of shutter/aperture combinations to see what I thought looked best.

I tackled the steps to the lower overlook of the Upper Tahquamenon Falls. Since it was a weekday and a rugged hike was involved I pretty much had the platform to myself.

The sign advertised 116 steps on the trail. I knew there had to be more, so I counted on the way back up. The 116 was correct to the lowest point, but then there were another 75 steps up and down on the trail along the river's edge.

At the falls brink overlook, a long exposure softened the water flow to give a nice impression of motion. The shot below was my favorite of more than 150 pictures.

The water is amber/brown in color (but very clear) from the abundance of tannins leached from the cedar swamps which the river drains.

I made one final stop at the Lower Tahquamenon Falls before returning to the coach. I think the rains increased the flow a bit and the fisherman in the foreground added a nice bit of interest.

The next morning, our last at Tahquamenon Falls before moving, we returned to Whitefish Point to do some more rock hunting. As you can see below the point had a nice selection of Lake Superior nuggets to pick through. 

The rocks are so vibrantly colored, but only when wet.

On the way back to the coach, we passed a fish place in Paradise, MI. Joani found it had excellent reviews - we had limited internet access on the road - so we decided to give it a try. Our waitress said the fish was so fresh it had been swimming only a few hours before it hit our plates. It certainly was tasty!

Brown Fisheries Fish House - try the smoked whitefish chowder.